June 10, 2012

Insomnia in adults could be caused by a fear of the dark, suggest researchers from Ryerson University in Toronto. Preliminary findings from the small study involving 93 men and women suggest that more poor sleepers than good sleepers say they're afraid of the dark. WebMD reports that researcher Colleen Carney says that she thinks the most surprising part of the study is that participants confessed to their fear of the dark during sleep lab experiments. Researchers noticed that the poor sleepers had greater "startle" responses in the dark, but not in lit rooms. Poor sleepers also had a tendency to blink fast in response to unexpected noise, which is a sign of fear. The average age of the research participants was 22. The research will be presented at the Sleep 2012 meeting in Boston.

What works for one type of jellyfish sting may not work for another, say emergency room doctors. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center examined scientific papers to find an answer for jellyfish stings that's based on evidence, reports NPR. They found that there's no one approach for all stings. In fact, some treatments can backfire. While vinegar may help with the sting from a Portuguese-man-o-war, the treatment will make pain worse for other types of jellyfish stings. In general, doctors advise removing any tentacles and stinging cells (nematocysts) stuck in the skin, and washing with hot water or saltwater if no fresh water is available. They also recommend using lidocaine or benzocaine for pain. The research is published in Annals of Emergency Medicine.